SVGFF First VP mum on technical director’s post

First Vice-President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) Otashie Spring is not prepared to comment on the post of technical director.

Spring’s response to SEARCHLIGHT’s inquiry whether there was any truth about consideration being entertained by the SVGFF’s executive to replace Keith Ollivierre as the technical director, was simply, “I have no comment on the matter”.{{more}}

Spring, who has the responsibility for technical matters of the SVGFF, added that he was not at liberty to divulge any information to this media house, or any other, of what transpired at the executive meetings.

Similarly, Spring was mum when quizzed about if he has interest in the post, should a decision be taken to remove Ollivierre.

He concluded that any changes to the post or any other positions would be known by a “press release”, or a “press conference”.

Ollivierre took up the post of technical director of the SVGFF in 2012, following the departure of Englishman Colwyn Rowe, with Cornelius Huggins, who served as assistant coach to Rowe, assuming the post of senior team head coach.

However, last June, there was a reconfiguration of coaching staff for the Caribbean Cup tournament in the fixtures versus Suriname and St Kitts and Nevis, with Ollivierre taking up the head coach’s job and third vice-

president of the SVGFF Wayde Jackson – assistant coach.

The reshuffle resulted in head coach Cornelius Huggins demoted to assistant coach #2 and Wesley Charles, the previous assistant to Huggins listed as assistant coach #3.

This arrangement was in place when St Vincent and the Grenadines faced the USA in the World Cup qualifier here September 2.

However, when SVG travelled to Guatemala to meet that country on September 6, Jackson assumed the head coach’s post and Huggins was his assistant. Neither Ollivierre nor Charles was part of the travelling contingent to the Central American country.

Following this country’s sojourn at the World Cup qualifiers, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ ranking now stands at 164 of the 205 football nations listed under the world governing body, FIFA.

The worst ranking that this country has attained was 170, which occurred in January 2004.

However, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ best ranking of 73rd was attained in October, 2007.

It is widely believed that with the current state of this country’s football, a foreign technical director should be hired to help put together a comprehensive programme to chart the course of the sport.

But since taking office in November 2011, the Venold Coombs-led executive has resisted the employment of such an individual, and instead has expressed its unreserved confidence for local personnel.

Several non-Vincentians have over the years been employed as either technical directors or head coaches.

Among the list have been Brazilian Jorge Ramos, the English combination of Ces Podd and Adrian Shaw, as well as other Englishmen, Stewart John Hall and Colwyn Rowe, along with Trinidadian Bertille St Claire, Yugoslavian, Zoran Vranes and Jamaican/American Lenny Taylor.